


Drunk

by kierathefangirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cas and Michael being friends, Cas sorta drunk, Cute Michael, Dean and Gabe are cute, Dean being cute and shy, Dean being kind of a butt about Michael, Dean saving Cas from hammered girl, Gabe being all shy and cute and just ahhh, Gabriel and Sam had a fight, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Mean Naomi, Michael falling for OC hunter, Sam and Cas are cool and funny, Sam being nice to Gabe, cute fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-17 19:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5882464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kierathefangirl/pseuds/kierathefangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas got drunk, Dean saved him. So much went down that all started with that. :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drunk (Cas' POV)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [trampanya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trampanya/gifts).



> (It's called Drunk because it all goes down just cause Cas got a little drunk! XD)
> 
> First person POVs (points of view), original characters. Michael falling, Gabe falling, Cas falling, Naomi being mean.
> 
> Comments welcome! Let me know what you think. 
> 
> This began with me listening to "Honey, I'm Good" by Andy Grammer and thinking about the quotes between Sam and Cas: "Are you...drunk?" "No! ...Yes." "What happened?" "I found a liquor store." "And?" "And I drank it! Why'd you call me?"
> 
> Currently listening to "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain (good song, I recommend it) and it starts in chapter 2. Chapter 1 is all "Honey, I'm Good."
> 
> I started writing because I had an idea and my ADHD brain had to follow it; I don't gear the story towards one audience or another, it's all about the storyline I've built up.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean saving Cas. Cas being totally out of it. Cas crashing in the bunker. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cas' perspective.
> 
> "Honey, I'm Good." is song for this chapter.

I down the shot, feeling a little buzz tingling in my bones. The girl giggles, clearly hammered, as she downs her next shot. “Hi, beautiful.”

I roll my eyes, glancing at her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, your average cheerleader-type girl. Not my type. “Hi.”

She grins. “I’m Ashley.”

I decide to play along. “Cas.”

She hiccups. “Cas. I like it. Stage name?”

“God-given, dear,” I correct quietly.

She giggles. “Ohhh, fancy.”

I yawn, downing my third shot. “Not as fancy as it sounds. Castiel, although my friends call me Cas.”

“Ohhh, like the angel?”

I turn towards her, raising an eyebrow. “I _am_ the angel.”

Her eyes widen with delight. “Ohhh! What are you doing on Earth, then?”

I roll my eyes. “Waiting for a friend to come to his senses and save the world from Lucifer and the apocalypse.”

“That’s such a big weight on your shoulder, sweetie!” She sniffles dramatically. “You need a break.”

I sigh. “This is my break. Waiting for him to come ‘round.”

She grabs my hand, pulling me towards the door. “Come home with me, pwease?”

I shake my head. “I’m an angel, I can’t enjoy the niceties that humans can, Ashley.”

She shoves me out the door despite my protests, pinning me to the wall. I shove her off and she tackles me to the ground, sitting on top of me and grinning drunkenly. I’m not drunk enough to be seduced by her, and the more I protest the more she seems to be enjoying herself.

A sleek black Impala pulls up next to us and a tall figure gets out, pulling her off of me. I’m too drunk to recognize him, but he lifts me to my feet and sets me in his car, zipping off. I can’t stop myself from shaking, too drunk and frightened to calm down.

He pulls into a garage and the door closes behind him. He lifts me out of the car, carrying me inside.

In the light, I vaguely recognize the bunker and I think I hear Dean’s voice replying to Sam when he asks a question. Can’t be sure since I’m still disoriented.

He carries me into a room, setting me down on the bed and quietly closing the door behind him.

I close my eyes, letting myself pass out. It’s been one hell of a day.


	2. Hangover (Cas' POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas wakes up with a hangover. Dean takes care of him. They eat breakfast and watch "Hotel Transylvania 2". They fall asleep together. Fluff. Dean being adorable. Sam being all "Long time no see, how’s it goin’?" to smooth over awkward moment. XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch the movie first, it'll make more sense (before you read that part).
> 
> Cas' POV. Dean fluff. Sam being silly. La la la la. Loveliness. Cuddles.
> 
> Listening to "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain.

I groan, feeling like I got hit by a train. I sit up, rubbing my eyes and shaking my head.

_I’m in a bed,_ I register. _But I’m homeless, how the hell...?_

Dean slides into the room, a smile lighting up his face. “Hey, you’re awake.”

I blink, surprised. _Dean?_ “Not exactly. Feels like I got hit by a train.”

Dean hands me a tiny pill and a glass of water. “Here. Perfectly understandable, you were drunk.”

I swallow the pill, setting the glass down so I don’t drop it from my shaking hands.

Dean sits on the edge of the bed next to me. “You okay? Aside from the hangover?”

I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head. _Ashley._ “I don’t know.”

Dean’s hand brushes mine and I look up. He offers me a tiny smile. “Don’t worry about her. I pulled her off and took you home, she’s long gone and has a massive hangover somewhere. She was damn hammered.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re telling me. I’m the one she came after.”

Dean chuckles. “Yeah, I saw. Oh, you’re in the bunker, by the way.”

I cast a quick glance around me. “I noticed. Where’s Sam?”

Dean chuckles, grinning. “Making breakfast. He wouldn’t hear it when I told him I could do it. Little tyke.”

Dean hands me a clean pair of boxers and jeans with an AC/DC t-shirt. For some reason, the outfit is just so Dean. “Here, go take a shower. It’ll help with the headache. Believe me, I’d know. Taking care of Dad was a pain in my ass, you’re nicer about it.”

A small smile tugs on my lips. “That’s because your dad didn’t _want_ to be taken care of. I don’t like the feeling of being hit by a train, and your dad would rather get drunk all over again than recover.”

“True,” Dean agrees. “We’ll be out in the kitchen when you’re done. You know where everything is.”

I nod and he slips out.

I shake my head, totally bewildered. _He kicks me out and then he just brings me right back in? And he’s taking care of me? I don’t even know. Whatever, I do need a shower. It’s been a few days._

I slip out, diving into the bathroom and showering thoroughly. I use my abandoned razor to shave while washing off and dry off, feeling ten times better—not just the hangover, but just being clean, too.

I pull the clothes Dean gave me on, noting that the shirt was a little big on me. Dean’s clearly taller, but the clothes still fit enough to be comfortable.

I slip out, pausing to listen at the entrance to the kitchen.

“He’s gonna be confused as hell, Dean,” Sam’s voice echoes in the room. “You kick him to the streets to fend for himself and then just let him move back in? Like, what the hell? I’d be confused, and he’s not been human as long as we have. If you’re planning on him staying, you’re gonna have to explain why the hell you kicked him out; even I don’t understand that, and I’m your brother.”

Dean sighs. “I know, Sammy, and I’ll get to it. Don’t be such a worrywart. Besides, I wasn’t gonna let that bitch Ashley take advantage of him like she did me. He had nowhere to go, far as I know. Wasn’t gonna leave him to run away from her in that state, no way in hell.”

Sam rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Your problem now.”

I slip into the living room, dropping onto the couch and closing my eyes. _Ashley took advantage of a drunk Dean? That’s a strange thought. And Sam’s right, it’s confusing, but he doesn’t understand that I actually don’t mind moving back in. I like being close to them, I feel like I’m actually doing something. Like I have purpose again._

I hear feet I can easily identify as Dean padding over to me and then the couch sinks down next to me. “Hey.”

I open my eyes, glancing at him. “Hey.”

Dean glances me up and down, smiling softly. “Your hair looks cute like that.”

I blink, tilting my head. _What?_

Dean blushes scarlet and averts his gaze, wincing. “You okay?”

“Better,” I answer quietly.

Dean reaches out, his hand brushing mine again. “Look,” he starts guiltily. “I know I kinda kicked you out, but—”

I shake my head, cutting him off. “Dean. It’s okay.”

Dean shakes his head. “No, it’s not. It’s just...I was distracted by you, I kept worrying about you. I thought if I wasn’t around you maybe that would change, but it actually got worse cause I couldn’t see that you were okay with my own eyes. Sam hasn’t shut up about it, he’s still prying to figure out why I did it.”

I pause, glancing at him. “I doubt he’ll stop until you tell him, knowing how he is.”

Dean chuckles. “Probably, yeah. Point is, I’m worried about you. I don’t just repetitively ask if you’re okay for no reason, it’s cause I’m like an overbearing mother. You’re like a brother to me. I can’t lose you like I lost Adam and Dad and Mom. Kapeesh?”

I frown at him. “You didn’t lose any of them. Your mother was taken from you by demons. So was your father, but he was taken saving your life. Adam...Dean, you didn’t even know he _existed_ , your dad never mentioned him. That had nothing to do with you. That’s not your fault, none of it is.”

Dean smiles faintly. “Feels like it is, whether or not it is. Jo, Ellen, Bobby, Mom, Dad, Adam, Benny, just...everyone we lost. It’s an occupational hazard, yeah, but Dad always taught me that it was all my fault and I can’t shake that.”

I roll my eyes. “Your father’s also an idiot. He shoved all his problems onto you. He couldn’t take care of himself, his family, his wife, his kids, and he shoved all that pressure onto you at far too young an age. They died because _most of them_ made a choice to be hunters, and it’s just an occupational hazard that you might die fighting. Adam and Benny died, yes, but that doesn’t make it your fault.”

Dean chuckles lightly. “I missed you.”

I glance at him, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and the drooping eyelids from lack of sleep. “I can tell. I missed you, too.”

Dean ducks his head. “Oh, shut up. I said before I worry too much.”

I shrug. “Never said that was a bad thing, worrying is part of human nature. Doesn’t mean you should lose sleep over it, though, Dean.”

Dean blushes scarlet. “How can you—”

I raise an eyebrow. “Your eyelids are drooping, there’s dark circles under your eyes. I know the signs all too well, I’ve seen them on you before.”

Dean’s blush deepens. “Damn.”

I reach out, dropping my hand on his. “You need sleep, Dean, just like anyone else. And maybe you need a mother yourself to tell you that, to keep you in check. You can worry all you like, but you need to sleep and take care of yourself. You’re only human, Dean, you can’t carry the weight of worlds.”

Dean chuckles, flipping his hand under mine and closing his fingers over my hand. “You just used song lyrics, oh my god. You’re adorable.”

I roll my eyes. “If I did, it was unintentional.”

Dean grins, squeezing my hand in his. I smile back, a softer and more tender smile. “Besides, you’re the one who _knows_ the song lyrics those words go to. You’re such a little geek.”

Dean blushes scarlet. “Oh, shut up.”

I smirk, challenging, “Make me.”

Dean grins, dropping his head on my shoulder. “Nah, it’s cool. It’s cool.”

Sam calls from the kitchen, “Dean, breakfast is ready!”

Dean rises to his feet, offering his hand. “Coming?”

I accept his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. We make our way in together and Sam looks up, nodding towards me. “Hey, Cas. Long time no see, how’s it goin’?”

I roll my eyes. “Hello, Sam.”

Dean drops into a chair at the table and Sam drops the food in front of us, settling down on the other side of the table. “Nah, but really. How are you?”

I shrug. “Hungover but okay.”

Sam chuckles. “You been drinkin’ up in bars, little angel?”

I swallow my bite of food and give him a playful glare. “No. Not usually.”

Sam grins. “Not _usually_?”

I yawn, raising an eyebrow at him. “Only on particularly slow, bad days. Which is around once a week.”

Dean glances at me quickly, eyes wide. “Once a _week_ , you go get drunk?”

I swallow my bite of food, glancing at him. “Just about. Some weeks I don’t. Just the bad days when I don’t have anywhere to go anyway. So? What am I supposed to do when I’m homeless?”

Dean drops his gaze, wincing. Sam winces, biting his lip. “Homeless?”

I shrug. “I don’t make near enough to afford a house, and I haven’t found any shelters that aren’t full of people that are unholy and I won’t be around them. So yeah, homeless.”

Dean swallows, squeezing my hand. “Wha’d’you mean, unholy?”

I scoff. “Drunk, abusive, single white men. Like your father, but worse.”

Sam winces and Dean flinches. An uncomfortable silence falls and when we finish eating, Sam sweeps away the dishes and drops them in the sink.

Dean bites his lip, glancing at me. “Did you try a shelter?”

I nod. “How else would I know who’s in there? I left after one night. No way in hell I was gonna stay there.”

Dean winces, rising to my feet and pulling me with him. “You wanna watch something?”

“Like what?”

Dean shrugs. “I don’t know, what do you wanna watch?”

I blink, glancing at him. “No idea.”

He tugs on my hand, pulling me back into his room and closing the door, flipping the TV on and handing me the remote. “Here.”

I flip through, pausing here and there— _Hotel Transylvania_ and _Hotel Transylvania 2_ , _Boxtrolls_ , _Home_ —before settling on _Hotel Transylvania 2_. Dean doesn’t say a word, flopping down on the bed and crossing his ankles.

I drop onto the bed next to him, hyper-aware of the proximity but focusing on the movie.

“ _I guess it’s just harder to catch my breath since...I’m pregnant._ ”

“ _Yes, well that would make it—wha?_ ”

Dean smiles faintly, falling against me. I glance over, slipping an arm around him.

The movie seems to fly by as Dean melts against me. “ _Isn’t it still someone’s birthday?_ ”

We both smile a little, amused.

The song at the party begins to play. “ _I’m in loooove, with a monster!_ ”

We exchange a quick glance, an unspoken thought. _Us._

The credits begin to play and Dean’s eyes drop closed. He’s not asleep, but he’s still halfway between asleep and awake. It’s only eleven thirty, not even noon yet, but both of us are tired for various reasons.

I flip the TV off and slide Dean under the blankets, sliding in next to him but leaving space between us.

I slip back to sleep, warm and content.


	3. Crashed (Dean's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short piece from Dean's POV; wakes up to see Cas and him curled on the bed and curls up against him like a cute dork. :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dean's POV, "I'll Be". Enjoy.

I wake up slowly, vaguely registering that I’m under the blankets and the TV is silent. _I must’ve crashed. Where’s Sammy? Hope he didn’t get himself in trouble or anything._

I crack an eye open. Cas is fast asleep next to me, having left a respectful distance between us but still having crashed like me.

I reach out, lightly touching his arm. He looks really cute like that, in skinny jeans, a casual shirt, and with his hair ruffled and a little curly. He doesn’t stir, too deep asleep to be woken up by me.

A smile tugs up the corner of my mouth and I pull him onto the bed—he’s almost falling off. He stirs just a little, but not enough to say he’s waking up.

I curl up against him, taking advantage of the moment to get close even though I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it while fully awake. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable, but I’m tired as hell and he’s warm and cuddly like a teddy bear. _I love him,_ I realize, the unwanted knowledge making sense somehow. _I probably have for a while. Damn. Well, better to realize it late than never._

I close my eyes, drifting between sleep and awake for a while before finally dropping back to sleep.


	4. Half-Asleep (Cas' POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean being cute and shy and Cas being chill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Cas' POV.

I wake up enough to register that Dean’s curled up against me and I’m no longer falling off the edge. That’s enough to make me peek at him, half-asleep but awake enough to catch the smile on his face. The peaceful expression. _Hm._

Dean stirs a little, one of his hands tight on my shirt and the other balled up in a fist—the kind of fist Dean has when he’s either in pain, uneasy, or both.

I drop my hand onto his fist and it uncurls automatically, closing on my hand. _Uneasy, then. But why?_

Dean stirs, groaning a little. He mumbles something about ‘Sammy don’t, trust me’ and falls still again.

I squeeze his hand and his head moves slightly, his eyes moving behind the closed eyelids.

I close my eyes, brushing my thumb back and forth over his hand until he relaxes. _That’s better._

He yawns, his hand loosening on my shirt. “Um, hey.”

I peek at him, catching the embarrassed, guilty look. “Hey.”

Dean blushes scarlet. “Um...”

I offer him a small smile. “Hey, it’s okay. Really, it’s okay.”

Dean bites the inside of his cheek. “You’re not...uncomfortable or anything?”

I shake my head. “No. Why would I be? You’re warm.”

Dean blushes a deep red, his gaze flicking to my hand in his. “I, uh...well, it’s just...”

I raise an eyebrow. Dean’s blush deepens and he mutters, “I love you.”

Butterflies bloom in my stomach and I smile shyly. “Really?”

Dean moves and wraps his arms around me. “Yeah.”

I fit my arms around him perfectly, curling up against him and burying my face in his shoulder.

Dean relaxes against me, kissing the top of my head and tightening his grip.

His breathing eases into a sleeper’s just as I drift slowly to the world of dreams.


	5. Empty Bunker (Dean's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean giving Gabe relationship advice. Dean and Cas do kiss here, twice. Fluff. Dean and Cas saying 'I love you'. XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'll Be". Dean's POV.

I wake up slowly, still curled up with Cas. The fact that he was so chill about all this was more than I could’ve hoped for.

Rain pounds on the roof but it doesn’t bother me, I’m warm here with Cas. Subconsciously, I register that the bunker’s too quiet—Sam can’t be home. Not with this kind of silence. But it doesn’t really matter, we’re safe and we’re happy together.

Cas stirs beside me, looking up and blinking. “Hey.”

I smile warmly at him. “Hey. You have the most beautiful sleepy blue eyes when you wake up.”

Cas blushes scarlet, burying his face in my shoulder. “Shut up.”

“Make me,” I challenge quietly.

Cas looks up, a half-smile lifting his mouth and sparking light in his eyes. “You really wanna test me?”

I shrug. “Don’t see why not. Sam’s not home, and I don’t feel like getting up.”

The smile spreads like honey and Cas looks at me from under his lashes, his voice softening. “Please?”

The effort to resist leaves me breathless, but I manage it. “Nope.”

The smile becomes mischievous and he pulls me in for a mind-blowing kiss. Even with all the relationships I’ve been in, no one had ever kissed me like that. My eyes close and my fingers slide into his hair as any resolve that may have been left crumbles to nothing.

Cas slowly pulls away and I release a slow breath, regarding him with wide eyes.

The gleam of success in his eyes kicks in my more competitive side, and I pull him in for a kiss of my own. I nip at his lip while pulling away, studying him with satisfaction. He’s winded and wide-eyed, caught off guard.

Cas catches his breath, the surprised expression being replaced with a shy smile. “Got you.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh, shut up.”

Cas’ eyes twinkle with interest. “So you _are_ a good kisser.”

I burst out laughing, my head falling against him. “And you’re actually cool with that?”

Cas shrugs. “Yeah, because I love you. I’ve known since I became human. I have the full range of emotions, it’s easier to distinguish one from another. I sure as hell wouldn’t be comfortable with Sam doing that, but you’re different. I fell for you, both literally and figuratively.”

I raise my gaze, eyes wide. “Did you just say you—?”

“Love you, yes,” Cas finishes. “I. Love. You.”

My mouth drops open. _I can’t help it, I never expected to hear him say it. I’d dealt with unrequited love before, but this...this was different. This was soulmate kinda thing, and here he is telling me he loves me. And it leaves me speechless. What am I supposed to say to that?_

Cas closes his hand back on mine. “And I always will.”

“I—what—I don’t...” I trail off, shaking my head and trying again. “I don’t know what to say, I just...”

Cas gives me a knowing look. “Assumed it was just you? One-sided?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” I agree quietly.

“Well, it’s not, Dean.” He lifts my hand so the back of his hand is over my heart and the back of my hand is over his. It’s pounding under my hand, but I register he’s pointing out our hearts are literally beating as one—exact same tempo, same skips. “It never was.”

I swallow, glancing at our intertwined hands. “I’ve never...well, every relationship I’ve had has only lasted a week, tops, and then they leave. I’ve never really loved anyone the same way, but I’m kinda...I don’t know, scared it’ll happen again.”

Cas shakes his head. “Never. I’m not going anywhere, I swear. I haven’t been the steadiest person in your life, but you’ve _always_ been the steady presence in mine. No matter where I was, who I was with, you were with me. When the connection between Naomi and I broke, with the angel tablet...I thought maybe it was the tablet, but it wasn’t just that. Maybe that was part of it, but it was what you said. ‘We’re family. We need you, I need you.’ It broke the connection, it pulled me back to myself. And that’s all you’ve ever done for me. Been there, even when I wasn’t.”

I feel tears spring to my eyes. _Oh my god. He’s right, but oh my god. Cas loves me. Cas loves me, too. Oh my god. Need to get my head around that._

“Even,” Cas continues, “When I had been trained to kill you _four hundred times_ , you still were there. You still snapped that bond that gave her power over me. Because _you can twist the mind all you want, but you can’t control the mind or the soul_. And that’s something that she fails to understand. Gabriel has just begun to get his head around it, and he’s older than me. I’m the one who brought him to his senses, showed him that he’s just as human as anyone else but for the fact that he has powers they don’t. And it opened both our eyes to a whole new world, a new point of view. And he’s falling already. For who, he won’t tell me. But he’s falling.”

I frown. _Gabriel had a huge argument with Sam over him coming on our latest hunt. They haven’t spoken since, it’s been weeks. And Sam’s retreating into himself. Is he falling for Sammy? I honestly wouldn’t mind; I get my angel, he gets his. But really?_ “I think I know.”

Cas looks up. “What?”

 

I raise my gaze to him. “I think I know who he’s falling for. So, Gabe had this huge argument with Sam over coming on our latest hunt. Said it was too dangerous and he couldn’t go, he might die. They haven’t spoken since—it’s been weeks—and Sam’s been retreating further into himself and he’s turning into someone I don’t know. He makes breakfast, but that’s the only time I see him all day. He’s just gone otherwise. And when he does come back, his eyes are red-rimmed from crying. I don’t know, it all started when they stopped talking.”

Cas’ eyes widen a little. “That makes sense. It would explain why he wouldn’t tell me.”

I roll out of bed. “Come on. Think you can call him down?”

Cas rolls to his feet, shrugging. “Maybe. I don’t know if he hears me anymore, now that I’m human, but he might answer.”

We make our way outside, into the back yard, and Cas closes his eyes.

In moments, a golden glow flashes across the yard, but it doesn’t blind me this time. Gabriel appears, snapping into his vessel and crossing his arms. “What’s so important? I have someone to watch over.”

Cas opens his eyes and looks up. “Sam?”

Gabriel goes pale and he splutters, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Look,” I step in, moving towards him. “Ever since you two were arguing, Sam’s been...different. He’s retreating into himself, he’s becoming someone I don’t know. More reserved, salty as hell. And I only see him when he makes breakfast, then he’s gone all day. When I do see him, his eyes are rimmed in red from crying. Which makes me think it’s over you. And Cas said you’re falling, it’s not that big of a leap to suggest you two love each other. So, _are you_ falling for my brother?”

Gabriel flushes scarlet. “So what if I am?”

Cas smiles faintly. “Never said it was a bad thing, brother. I’ve fallen hard for Dean, it’s not a big deal.”

I shrug. “Hey, I get my angel and he gets his. Fair’s fair. But you’ve gotta figure out how to fix this. Make him...well, himself again. I don’t care what it takes, save his life or just apologize. I don’t care how, just fix it. He needs you. Whether or not he’ll admit it.”

I exchange a glance with Cas, a small shared smile. “I’ve been through that.”

Gabriel rolls his eyes. “He won’t talk to me. I’ve tried.”

Cas raises an eyebrow. “Save his life and maybe he’ll start talking again.”

I raise an eyebrow, explaining patiently, “Just your usual angel-human relationship advice: Gabe, he needs you, even if he doesn’t admit it. If he won’t talk to you, save his life and he’ll start talking. No doubt. What don’t I know about that kid, seriously. Believe me, Sam’ll start talking if you save him. ‘Specially from something like Hellhounds that he can’t take on his own.”

Gabriel sighs, his shoulders sagging and his gaze falling. “I’ll try, but he’s the hardest nut to crack.”

I smirk. “Start with ‘I love you’ and you might catch his attention.”

Gabriel raises an eyebrow, sighing. “I can’t believe I have to take advice from my _little_ brother and my human’s older brother. Stupid.”

He disappears and I grin at Cas. “I did mean that. Telling someone you love them always catches their attention.”

Cas rolls his eyes and we slip back inside.


	6. Gabriel (Cas' POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas' POV of "Empty Bunker". Shows Gabriel's wings sagging and the color dimming, which is kinda a show of sad Gabriel (over Sam not talking to him).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cas' POV, Gabriel being cute and sad. "I'll Be".

We make our way outside, into the back yard, and I close my eyes. _Gabriel, brother, we need to talk. Now. Back of the bunker, A.S.A.P._

In moments, a golden glow flashes across the yard. Gabriel appears, snapping into his vessel and crossing his arms. “What’s so important? I have someone to watch over.”

I open my eyes and look up, asking innocently, “Sam?”

Gabriel goes pale and he splutters, “I have _no idea_ what you’re talking about.”

“Look,” Dean steps in, moving towards Gabriel. “Ever since you two were arguing, Sam’s been...different. He’s retreating into himself, he’s becoming someone I don’t know. More reserved, salty as hell. And I only see him when he makes breakfast, then he’s gone all day. When I do see him, his eyes are rimmed in red from crying. Which makes me think it’s over you. And Cas said you’re falling, it’s not that big of a leap to suggest you two love each other. So, _are you_ falling for my brother?”

Gabriel flushes scarlet. “So what if I am?”

I smile softly. “Never said it was a _bad thing_ , brother. I’ve fallen hard for Dean, it’s not a big deal.”

Dean shrugs casually. “Hey, I get my angel and he gets his. Fair’s fair. But you’ve gotta figure out how to fix this. Make him...well, himself again. I don’t care what it takes, save his life or just apologize. I don’t care how, just fix it. He needs you. Whether or not he’ll admit it.”

I exchange a glance with Dean, a small shared smile. _My angel? Aw, that’s so cute._

Dean returns his gaze to Gabriel, finishing, “I’ve been through that.”

Gabriel rolls his eyes, but I hear the hurt in his voice as he protests, “He won’t talk to me. I’ve tried.”

I raise an eyebrow. “ _Save his life_ and maybe he’ll start talking again.”

Dean raises a critical eyebrow, explaining not-so-patiently, “Just your usual angel-human relationship advice: Gabe, he needs you, even if he doesn’t admit it. If he won’t talk to you, save his life and he’ll start talking. No doubt. What don’t I know about that kid, seriously. Believe me, Sam’ll start talking if you save him. ‘Specially from something like Hellhounds that he can’t take on his own.”

Gabriel sighs, his shoulders sagging and his gaze falling. His wings sag sadly, the gold dimming. “I’ll try, but he’s the hardest nut to crack.”

Dean smirks teasingly. “Start with ‘I love you’ and you might catch his attention.”

Gabriel raises an eyebrow, sighing. “I can’t believe I have to take advice from my _little_ brother and my human’s older brother. Stupid.” With that, Gabriel disappears.

Dean grins at me. “I _did_ mean that. Telling someone you love them always catches their attention.”

I roll my eyes and we slip back inside.


	7. Hellhounds and Leviathans.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets bit. I'm taking some liberties here with what happens with the bite, how the Leviathan acts, ect. But it's kinda cute cause Sam tells the Leviathan to stop hurting Gabe even though they've just had this big argument. Tries to call for Cas and he tells him to "Call Gabriel". :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam's POV. Same song.

I duck, falling to the ground with a shout under the weight of the hellhounds and the towering Leviathan. _I don’t have my weapons, I can’t fight! I can’t._

 _Cas?_ I call tentatively. _Cas, I need help. Leviathan and a pack of hellhounds, I’m unarmed. Please, I need you._

 _Call Gabriel,_ he replies.

I’ve never gotten a response but I answer angrily, _No! Not after he treated me like a baby._

_Is this what this is all about? God, you should’ve heard him. ‘He won’t talk to me.’ He sounded so hurt, like he didn’t even know what he did wrong. He’s an archangel, he didn’t grow up with the same customs and expectations as you. Give him the benefit of the doubt, just this once. Explain it to him and he’ll understand. He’s not stupid, just genuinely bewildered._

I can hear his voice in my head as Cas imitates him and I wince. So he is hurt. _Let him figure it out for himself._

I yell in pain as a hound bites my arm, exerting every bit of force it has. _I won’t call Gabriel, I won’t. I can’t. I’ve got this. Ow. No, I can’t. Damn it, Cas!_

I sigh, closing my eyes and willing the pain to end.

It does end, but not how I expect. A golden flash.

I crack an eye open, catching a glimpse of Gabriel struggling with a Leviathan—now there’s two.

I rise slowly to my feet, shaking the blood off my arm. The pain is almost unbearable, but I can move.

Gabriel cries out in agony, falling to his knees and pulling weakly against the Leviathan pinning him.

I can’t help the surge of anger, the pain fading as if to background noise. “Hey, leave him alone!”

It chuckles, this deep and echoey voice hissing, “And why should I, small and petty mortal?”

I straighten. “He has nothing to do with this! Let him go, _or I will make you_.”

The Leviathan just laughs at that. “You can’t _make me_ do anything.”

My eyes narrow. “ _Oh?_ You’ve never been in love. You’ve never felt emotions. You’ve _never cared_. Love, it’s...it’s fear and joy, sacrifice and pain—but it’s _always_ worth it in the end. But you, you foul creature, _you’ll never understand that_. I fell in love with a girl in college, Jessica Moore. She got killed by a fucking _demon_ , Azazel! And I blamed myself, still do. _Love makes you desperate._ You and your kind are abominations and if you threaten the people I care about, you can be _damn sure_ you’ll never see the light of day again.”

He laughs. “Wow, nice speech. Do I look like I _care_ about your beloved emotions?”

He pushes down and somehow I can see Gabriel’s wing bend under the pressure.

I take a deep breath, praying, _Cas. There’s two Leviathans, one of them’s got Gabriel. Help, please?_

With a blue flash, Cas and Dean both appear. Cas knocks the Leviathan off Gabriel, pulling his brother to his feet.

Gabriel makes one tiny whine of pain before diving back into battle.

Dean tosses me a knife. “Don’t go anywhere unarmed, Sammy!”

I catch it, throwing myself into battle despite my wounds. The Leviathan who pinned Gabriel is first to fall, then I take on the hound who bit me, then the other hounds as they come.

I finally collapse, all of them dead but me dying. _Ow._

Gabriel appears, kneeling down next to me. “Sam, you okay?”

I quickly reach up, catching his hand in my bloody one. “No.”

The pain disappears and I let myself collapse against him, exhausted mentally and physically.


	8. Forces of Hell (Gabriel's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel's POV of "Hellhounds and Leviathan". Shows Cas' interactions with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel's POV, same song.

_Gabriel,_ Cas calls. _Sam’s in danger. Come here and I’ll explain._

I instantly answer the call. “ _What?_ ”

Cas looks up. “Gabriel. He’s praying, said there’s hellhounds and Leviathan. Needs help but he’s unwilling to ask you. Go, save your unicorn.”

Ignoring the terminology, I locate him and fly over, knocking everyone over with a single gold blast of holy light. Sam cracks an eye open, peeking at me in surprise.

Sam rises slowly to his feet, shaking the blood off his arm as I cry out in agony, falling to my knees and pulling weakly against the Leviathan pinning me.

Anger clouds Sam’s voice and he snaps, “Hey, leave him alone!”

It chuckles, its deep and echoey voice hissing, “And _why should I_ , small and petty mortal?”

Sam straightens, spitting, “He has _nothing_ to do with this! Let him go, _or I will make you._ ”

I shiver, the tone of his voice scaring me a little. _I don’t scare easy._

The Leviathan just laughs at that. “You can’t _make me_ do anything.”

Sam’s eyes narrow dangerously. “Oh? You’ve never been _in love_. You’ve never felt _emotions_. You’ve never _cared_. Love, it’s...it’s fear and joy, sacrifice and pain—but it’s always worth it in the end. But you, you _foul creature_ , you’ll never understand that. I fell in love with a girl in college, Jessica Moore. She got killed by a fucking _demon_ , Azazel. And I blamed myself, still do. Love makes you desperate. You and your kind are abominations! And if you threaten the people I care about, you can be _damn_ sure you’ll never see the light of day again.”

He laughs. “Wow, nice speech. Do I look like I _care_ about your beloved emotions?”

He pushes down and my wing bends under the pressure. _Ow!_

Sam closes his eyes, praying silently With a blue flash, Cas and Dean appear.

Cas knocks the Leviathan off of me, pulling me to my feet and murmuring, “ _Your_ human gets into far more trouble than mine. Tell him to be more careful.”

I roll my eyes, sighing. “Whatever.”

I allow myself one tiny whine of pain before diving back into battle. An angel’s wings are the most sensitive thing they have.

Dean tosses Sam a knife. “Don’t go anywhere unarmed, Sammy!”

Sam catches it, throwing himself into battle despite the wounds.

I protest quietly, but Cas still takes the pain even though he can’t heal my wing.

I teleport over to Sam, kneeling down. “Sam, you okay?”

Sam reaches up, catching my hand in his bloodied one. “No.”

I pull the pain away, and Sam collapses against me.


	9. Hellhounds' Bite (Sam's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes some liberties. Gabriel being cute, Sam being supportive. Sam explaining love to Gabriel. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam's POV. Same song.

I wake up suddenly, coughing hard. Black, gritty blood coats my lips and teeth, tasting like rusted and old metal encrusted in dried blood.

Gabriel moves to my side instantly, his hand brushing mine. “Sam.”

“It hurts,” I groan, spitting the blood out.

His arms slip around me and he murmurs, “You’re lucky it wasn’t Dean. He’s been in and out all day, fawning over you. Cas is trying to keep him at bay but he’s too worried.”

“Typical Dean,” I agree, leaning into him. “Are you okay?”

He shrugs. “Cas did what he could, I’m not in any pain. Other than watching you suffer.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks. “What?”

He tightens his grip. “You heard me.”

I release a trembling breath, pushing the pain to the back of my mind. “Cas and Dean?”

“They’re fine. Oh, you did miss something pretty big between them.”

I raise an eyebrow. “They fight?”

Gabriel chuckles, shaking his head and sitting down next to me. “No, quite the opposite. When they called me they were holding hands. And since I can read my brother’s mind I did accidentally see Dean kissed him and vice versa.”

I mock-gag and grin. “They’re finally getting their shit together, good.”

Gabriel bites his lip and looks down, suddenly shy. “Are we okay?”

I blink in surprise. “Honestly, I forgot about it. Kinda happens when both your lives are on the line. Yeah, we’re...we’re okay. We’re cool. Just reminded me of when Dad said I couldn’t come and left with Dean. And Dean always came back bloody and exhausted. I wanted to be there keeping him safe, have since the first hunt he let me come on.”

A small smile lifts the corner of his mouth and I reach out, ruffling his hair. “Hey, what happened to my little candy-obsessed, happy go lucky archangel? You’ve been really quiet lately. It’s not like you.”

He looks up, some light returning to his eyes. “Um, I’m just...well, I’m falling. I may or may not have argued with Naomi one too many times. I don’t have the energy I used to.”

I feel my eyes widen a little but it’s beyond my control. “What? Why? What’d she say that you argued over?”

Gabriel swallows, wincing and dropping his gaze. “She told me to kill you. Three times now. Threatened my grace, threatened anything she could. But I still said no. I couldn’t. And she said I was getting sentimental and of no use to her. I’ve been slowly falling ever since. And she did try to tell Cas to do it, he said he’d sooner die and go to Hell. He told her he wouldn’t put you or Dean through that. I couldn’t either.”

I tilt my head a little. _Cas and Gabe took our side?_ “You didn’t have to—”

Gabriel looks up, his eyes widening and tears springing to his eyes. I cut myself off, confused.

He shakes his head hard. “No, Sam. I _couldn’t._ I wouldn’t even try, I _can’t_. What part of that don’t you get? If I killed you, a part of me would die as well. And Dean would kill me if he got the chance, I like him. He’s nice.”

He tries to smooth it over, but I catch the main reason. _‘If I killed you, a part of me would die as well.’_ Oh.

My mouth opens a little in surprise. “No way you like Dean, he’s an ass to you.”

Gabriel shrugs. “He’s sarcastic and reminds me of how Balthazar used to be before, when he was younger. Dean wouldn’t turn into a salty old man like him, but...we were close, once upon a time. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. When he had a heart. He treated me like his son. I don’t know what changed. Dean reminds me of that.”

 _Now we’re getting somewhere. Balthazar._ “He _had_ a heart?”

“Naomi hardened him into a soldier,” Gabriel murmurs, shrugging helplessly. “But he used to.”

I untangle my hand from the blankets to drop it over his. “Just like she tried to with you and Cas.”

He nods slowly, his eyes shifting from his lap to my hand on his. “She tried. She failed. She was too late. Too little, too late. Cas had already figuratively fallen, fallen in love with Dean. I was already walking a tightrope when she _suggested_ oh-so-nicely that I ‘get the useless Winchester out of the way’. I fell. Figuratively, of course. Not that I told her, she didn’t need to know. But I did. She was too late. And she hates me for it. She was the closest I’ve ever had to a mother. But she turned from mother into drill sergeant and I couldn’t do what she told me to.”

I squeeze his hand, struggling into a sitting position and swallowing the mouthful of the black blood that washes up. “Hey, I wasn’t saying that’s a bad thing. Dean had already fallen hard for Cas. I never _had_ a mother, feel lucky for the time you got. My mom died when I was six months old. I never followed orders well, and when I did it was always in this towering temper that showed Dad just how pissed I was at being treated like some stupid little soldier. He never told me to kill anything that wasn’t a monster that hurt people. And I don’t. I would’ve agreed in your place. Screw the damn grace, you can’t tell someone to kill a human. Not someone who kills to survive.”

He looks up, a tiny frown dragging his face down. “Hey, you don’t...Sam, you’re not a monster. You kill to survive and to save lives. That’s not a sin in anyone’s book. Naomi just thinks you’re useless because she’s never felt emotion and she doesn’t _understand_ love the way Cas and I do.”

I blink, registering what he said briefly before the last bit sinks in. _Naomi just thinks you’re useless because she’s never felt emotion and she doesn’t understand love the way Cas and I do? Is he saying he’s falling for me?_

I wince as the pain flares and I suppress it again, tilting my head at him. “She doesn’t understand...say that again?”

His eyes widen innocently again as he seems to realize what I’m pointing out. “I didn’t...”

I detangle my other hand so I can pull him closer, using one hand to force him to meet my gaze. “Gabe. Believe me, I don’t scare easy. What the hell does that mean?”

He blushes scarlet and his eyes dart up to mine. “I just...well, angels always fall _for_ someone. It’s just how it works. Only a human can capture the heart and soul of an angel who’s been loyally serving Heaven for their whole lives. So even if I’m still...getting my head around all this, around emotions and what it means...it does mean I’m in love.”

I nod slowly. “Cas fell _for_ Dean. So you’re falling for...?”

Gabriel shivers under my hand, his eyes straying everywhere but me. “Wh-why would I tell you that?”

 _Because it’s me?_ I raise an eyebrow. “Because I have a feeling it’s me?”

He blushes scarlet, going stiff with fear and surprise. “Wh-what gives you that idea?”

I shake my head, drawing his gaze back to me. “Gabe, I said I don’t scare easy. You can trust me. I’m not going anywhere, _I promise_.”

Gabriel’s blush deepens and he cringes, and for a moment he looks years younger. Innocent, shy, like a thirteen year old asking his crush out on a date for the first time.

Gabriel shivers again, biting his lip. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I trust you with my life.”

I brush my thumb back and forth lightly over his chin. “Then trust me and tell me.”

He releases a slow breath and I withdraw my hand from his chin to place it over his.

Finally he manages to get out, “It’s just, I don’t...I’m inexperienced with things you grew up with, I don’t want to lose you.”

I shrug. “I get that.”

Gabriel glances up at me for a second before he mutters, “You’re right.”

I nod, finishing, “That it’s me?”

He nods minutely, the most still I’ve ever seen him. “Yeah.”

A smile spreads across my face like honey. “Good. ‘Cause I love you, too.”

He looks up, and he looks so vulnerable and uneasy that it takes my breath away.

I lower my voice. “I mean it. It’s a human thing, we do argue with those we love. And maybe it’s hard, but we can always find a way to make it up. To apologize. And you know what? What I told that Leviathan, about love making us desperate? _I was desperate._ Cas and Dean weren’t there, so I tried reason. Sure, it didn’t work, but I _tried_ because I was _desperate_. Dean’s way of saying ‘I love you’ is saying ‘you’re family, I need you’ and charging into Hell to search for years for Cas. My way is just being there, even when we’re mad at each other over something. If you’re in danger, hell yeah I’d do what it takes to get you out even if I get hurt in the process. Because that’s what love is. That’s what I didn’t get the chance to do with Jessica, and I’m not going to miss that chance with you, too.”

Gabriel blushes scarlet, but it’s almost like I flipped a switch in his brain—his eyes light up and his easy smile returns, albeit with less energy than I’m used to. “Really?”

I offer him a smile, confirming, “Yes. Honestly, if it wouldn’t make me in more pain I’d probably kiss you right now. But circumstances won’t allow.”

A little more energy slips into the smile, a small twitch upward of his lips. “I could help with that, you know. I still have enough grace left for a simple task like that.”

“The fact that you call taking away someone’s pain a simple task,” I laugh. “Doesn’t seem so simple to me.”

Gabriel rolls his eyes, the sarcasm back tenfold. “Oh, really? You’re telling me you can’t take other’s pain away? No way, you’re only _human_. Imagine if humans _could_ do that. Chaos.”

I grin, the energy I’m used to fueling my own return. “Totally. No one would die. Sentiment.”

He chuckles, agreeing, “Sentiment.”

I notice a gradual ebbing in the pain, the disappearance of the strange black blood. _Hm._

After a moment of silence, he rises to his feet. “I’ll send Dean in so he doesn’t continue to panic unnecessarily. He might drag Cas with him.”

I shrug easily. “Okay.”

He disappears and I frown after him. _He took it away, whatever was causing the blackness._


	10. Michael

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Michael. He's a big brother! Takes care of Gabriel, then they go to meet his special hunter (OC, couldn't think of anyone who'd be good enough for him! XD). Gabriel sends Dean and Cas in to Sam's room to watch over him while he's gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel's POV. Again, takes some liberties. It's cute, though. Same song.

I slip out, heading into the living room and allowing my easy smile to return. Dean’s worried eyes light up as he sees the smile. “Is he okay?”

I nod quickly. “He’s fine, yeah. Told you to bugger off, but what the hell. I’m gonna go see if Michael can do anything about my wing, you go and baby him all you like. He’s talking again.”

I close my eyes, flapping up to Heaven painfully. My wing protests the whole way and I stumble in the gate, running right into Michael—just who I was looking for.

I offer him a weak smile, shaking myself off and allowing some of the pain to cross my face. He’s still my big brother, soldier or not.

Michael’s eyes widen and he steadies me on my feet. “Brother, what happened?”

I catch my breath, swallowing. “Hellhounds and Leviathans happened. And I don’t know what they did but my wing hurts like hell. It’s burning, like the fires of Hell burning.”

Michael glances at the wing, frowning. “Hellfire. Here.”

He touches the wing and it heals under his hand, the pain going with it. “There.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Castiel tried, but...well, he’s just an angel. He can’t do much for a wing coated in Hellfire. Damn Leviathan are more of a pain than they’re worth.”

Michael chuckles. “Damn straight, brother.”

He pulls the hellhound poison out, spitting it down towards the ground. Somehow, I know it hits Lucifer. _He deserves it. He may have started like me, but he turned down a dark road from there._

Michael ruffles my hair. “Be more careful. No one can miss it—you’re falling. For Sam Winchester. I’m falling, too, I get it. But try to be careful.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re falling?”

He shrugs. “I can’t keep it hidden forever. A young hunter holds my heart and soul. My other half, you could say. No, you don’t know him. But you might meet him in the future.”

I offer him a warm smile. “I look forward to it. You’ve already met my hunter, and Cas’ of course.”

Michael rolls his eyes. “Dean calls him ‘my angel’ now. I heard it. Hilarious. Endearing. If it weren’t him saying it. I suppose you’re Sam’s angel now?”

I grin, nudging him playfully. “ _Arch_ angel, thank you very much. But yes, I am.”

Some of his old self seems to return, the energy from before. “Ohhh, _archangel_. Fanciness. Just like _moi_.”

“Show-off,” I laugh lightly, giving him a quick but tender hug. “I’ve missed this.”

He grins back, punching my shoulder. “Well, perhaps I’ll join you down there with my hunter soon. I look forward to it. There, I can be myself. I don’t have to worry about angel bitch.”

“Ohhh, _same._ I can’t wait to be free of her.”

We exchange a quick and knowing glance before he flares faintly, the closest we get to a blush. “I was going to meet him now, if you wanna come.”

I shrug. “Why the hell not?”

We fly down together, circling down before landing just for the hell of it.


	11. Michael's Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel meets Noah Smith, Michael's hunter (AKA the very reason he's falling). Can't say more without spoiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same song. Gabriel's POV. Mentions of pain (used to describe what it feels like to an angel when their wing breaks).
> 
> Noah is adorable! He's the exact opposite of Michael ("You are no longer a part of this story!") and tames him. He's sweet, he's shy, he's polite and curious. He's perfect for Michael. :)
> 
> Gabriel says 'anyone who can make Michael happy again' and Michael warns him against explaining. There's a whole backstory there. :D

I blink and appear in my vessel, grinning elatedly. Michael smiles back, taking my hand to lead me up to the door of the mansion we landed in front of.

He lowers his voice. “Try not to scare him. All he knows is Loki and Tricksters are bad and you’re an archangel.”

I shrug casually. “Okay.”

Michael takes a deep breath and knocks on the door.

There’s the sound of moving feet before the door opens to reveal a young man, tall and wearing a leather jacket. I can’t help but smile at him. _Good choice. I like him._

He blushes scarlet and smiles at Michael. Michael lights up, a smile alighting on his features. “Hey, Mike.”

Michael’s smile widens. “Hi.”

There’s an awkward pause before he pushes the door open. “Come in. Mom and Dad are out.”

We slip inside, and he shuts the door behind us. “I don’t think we’ve met?”

I shake my head. “Gabriel, Michael’s little brother.”

His eyes light up with understanding. “Oh!  Hi.”

Michael fidgets, a small smile on his face. “He got himself hurt protecting his hunter, so he was around anyway.”

I shrug. “Occupational hazard of being a hunter. He got bitten by a hellhound.”

The hunter blushes scarlet. “ _Your_ hunter?”

I nod quickly. “Yeah. Castiel— _my_ little brother—and I both have hunters. The Winchesters.”

He frowns. “I knew a John Winchester once.”

I wince. “He’s dead. Sold his soul to a demon for his son Dean’s life. Cas has Dean, I have Sam. Sam being the younger.”

Michael shrugs uneasily. “They rebelled against Heaven—in a different way than us, but rebelled nonetheless.”

The hunter offers his hand. “Noah Smith. I hear _you’re_ Loki? Not as bad as I expected, honestly.”

I let a slightly mischievous smile cross my face, raising an eyebrow at him. “You have no idea. Sam’s tamed me.”

I accept his hand anyway, for Michael’s sake if nothing else. “Nah, it’s cool. I like you. Anyone who can make Michael happy again deserves some respect. You’d know if I didn’t like you.”

He blushes again and Michael flushes scarlet. “Gabriel,” Michael warns lightly.

I toss him a smile. “Don’t worry, Mikey, I’m not gonna start talking about that. I’m not a tattle-tale. He can figure it out for himself.”

Noah shakes his head, glancing at Michael. “I don’t wanna _ask_. He wants to, he’ll tell me.”

Michael glances away, a small appreciative smile gracing his face. Noah moves forward, lacing his fingers with Michael’s. “Come on. There’s no need to be standing around in the entryway, let’s go.”

Michael gives me a wordless glare. _Don’t say a word._

_I would never,_ I pray back silently. _Not with me falling for Sam. I get it, believe me._

We slip inside and settle down, me in the chair and them huddled together on the couch.

Noah is the first to break the silence. “So you’re Loki, a Trickster, and an archangel.”

I shrug. “What of it?”

Noah chuckles. “Well, if you weren’t an archangel and Mike’s little brother, I’d be hunting you. It’s strange to be making friends with someone so different.”

I chuckle. “My children would kill you if you hurt me. I have so many I’ve lost count. Cas doesn’t really get around much, and...well, aside from the battlefield, Michael’s never left Heaven.”

“Why do you call him Cas?” Noah asks curiously.

I blink. “It’s a habit. Dean gave him the nickname, we all used it.”

Michael chuckles. “I didn’t know Dean invented it. It just stuck, he liked it.”

Noah glances at Michael. “You use it, too?”

He shrugs. “Cas liked it so it stuck. Even I picked up on it.”

Noah chuckles lightly. “I've never heard you talk about him.”

Michael shrugs uneasily. “It's never come up. I don’t talk about my family if I can help it. Gabriel’s a no-brainer, but...well, Naomi.”

I wince. “Careful. You know what happens if she catches any of us.”

Michael fidgets. “Yeah, I know. She’ll kick me out of Heaven. Reluctantly, but she will. She’s strict, and a bitch to top it off. Hate her.”

“You better hope to Hell she doesn’t ever hear you say that. She heard me say it once and would’ve broken my wing if Balthazar hadn’t’ve walked in.”

Noah frowns as Michael goes pale. “What?”

Michael swallows hard. “Um, a wing is the most sensitive thing on an angel. Imagine falling off a nine-story building and breaking basically every bone in your body. That’s how much it hurts to have one wing broken.”

Noah’s eyes widen. “Wow, okay then.”

Michael’s wing flutters as Noah’s hand brushes it and Michael nods. “That’s just how mean she can be.”

I shrug. “She’s usually like that. Maybe she hates me, I don’t know.”

Noah frowns. “But why? You’re cool, you’re  nice.”

I roll my eyes. “That’s not what she wants me to be. She wants a soldier out of all of us—Cas, me, Michael.”

“He’s right,” Michael agrees. “She wants the sword of Heaven, the perfect soldier. She has the power to twist the mind, but she can’t control the heart or soul. Cas showed us that. She tried to make him kill Dean, and Dean broke her spell.”

Noah glances at Michael. “So if she were to try and make _you_ kill _me_ , I could break it?”

Michael’s eyes widen a fraction of an inch, just enough to tell me he heard. “I don’t know, probably.”

Noah squeezes his hand. “You okay?”

Michael shivers. “Yeah. Just...her.”

Noah glances at me. “So Balthazar is nice?”

“He’s like a father to me,” I counter quietly. “But he’s not all that _nice_ to humans. He’s a rebel, I suppose. He broke the tip of her wing and told her to leave me alone. She used to be like a mother to me, before this mess. Before God—our father—went missing.”

Noah frowns. “He’s missing? Since when?”

“He disappeared when the first seal of Lucifer’s cage was broken,” I murmur. “No one’s seen him since.”

Noah glances at Michael. “But why?”

“We don’t know,” Michael answers for me. “All he said was Naomi was in charge of Heaven while he was gone.”

I shrug helplessly. “We don’t know _where_ he went. He could’ve taken a vessel here on Earth, or he could’ve gone down to Hell to stop Lilith personally. We don’t know.”

Noah shakes his head. “No humans have heard of it.”

I shrug. _Good._ “That’s on purpose. We don’t want Hell to find out and strike while we’re weakened. We’ve been losing angels left and right now, they’re all falling in love and Naomi takes their grace away.”

There’s an awkward pause. Michael is the one to break it. “There’s a lot going on in Heaven as well as on Earth. Demons run loose, Lucifer walks free. And Naomi’s attention isn’t on Earth, it’s on the falling angels.”

Noah frowns. “But that’s stupid. We’re stuck down here, we’ve nowhere to go.”

“I know,” I mutter. “I’ve been trying to get through to her, look where it’s got me. Falling and dying.”

Michael frowns. “Dying?”

I wince. “It’s just a figure of speech. Don’t ask.”

Michael tilts his head. _If Noah weren’t here, I’d push it. As is, I’m asking later._

_Don’t you dare,_ I pray back silently.

There’s a second of pause before the subject changes.


	12. Normally Wouldn't Mind (Sam's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean smothering Sam. Cas telling him to cool it a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sammy's POV.
> 
> Hoping to get Noah's (Michael's OC hunter) POV in here sometime soon. :)

“Sammy!”

Dean bursts into the room, smothering me in hugs. He whispers in my ear, “I love you, Sammy.”

I push him off, straining a smile. “I know, Dean. I’m fine, calm down.”

Dean grins just as Cas slips in, so much calmer I can’t help thinking he really is Dean’s other half, his opposite. “Hello, Sam.”

I smile at him, silently grateful. “Hi.”

Dean barely glances at Cas, for once. _He seemingly has eyes only for me. Which is...both endearing and really damn annoying. I had no idea he could get so clingy; it just doesn’t happen._

Cas drops a hand on Dean’s shoulder, and I notice they’re standing much closer together than usual and Dean isn’t saying a word. “Give him some space, Dean, you’ll suffocate him.”

I smile weakly at Cas, absent-mindedly running my fingers over the nasty bite mark on my arm. “Normally I wouldn’t mind, since it’s not...well, _normal_ , but I have so much shit to get my head around right now I’m a little overwhelmed. Gabe mentioned you two held hands?”

Both of them blush, and Cas bites his lip, smiling shyly. “He noticed that?”

I shrug. “What doesn’t he notice? He’s an _archangel_ , he reads minds. He’s not blind to signs of affection as he seems. Of course he noticed, he just didn’t say anything.”

“Nice of him,” Dean says softly.

I grin, sliding back up into a sitting position and raising my eyebrows at him. “Did you just call him nice?”

Dean blushes again, averting his gaze. “Shut up.”

I feel my grin widen. “It’s okay. He said, without me asking, that you’re nice and he likes you. More than most people. So congrats, you’re on his good side. Don’t ruin it.”

Dean looks back, eyes wide with surprise. “He did?”

“So,” I explain quietly, “Turns out Naomi’s even more of a bitch than we thought. She tried to convince Gabe to kill me, and he said he wouldn’t because he _couldn’t_ , not only because, in his words ‘a part of me would die as well’, but also because, and I quote, ‘Dean would kill me if he got the chance, I like him. He’s nice.’ And I said there’s no way he likes you, just to get him to talk more, and he said this: ‘He’s sarcastic and reminds me of how Balthazar used to be before, when he was younger. Dean wouldn’t turn into a salty old man like him, but...we were close, once upon a time. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. _When he had a heart._ He treated me like his son. I don’t know what changed. Dean reminds me of that.’”

There’s a silence and I add, “He said Naomi tried to convince Cas as well but he refused, too. It’s why he fell yet again last week, refusing to kill me.”

Cas blushes scarlet and drops his gaze, biting his lip. “I didn’t know he knew about that.”

Dean whirls towards Cas. “ _What?_ ”

Cas cringes as if Dean had struck him. “She...well, you know what she’s done many times over now. But she said that Sam was useless and to kill him—any way I had to, whatever means—and I told her I wouldn’t. He’s my friend just as much as you are. And I _know_ that would hurt you, even if you didn’t know it was me. So I said no. And she kicked me out, yet again.”

Dean’s eyes widen a little. “He’s not _useless_! He’s my baby brother!”

Cas shrugs helplessly. “I know. But she’s never understood sentiment, friends. Emotions are foreign to her.”

I swallow. “Gabe did mention that, but he said flat-out that I’m not useless.”

Cas glances at me. “She thinks you are, even though you’re not. It’s just that you don’t follow the rules, stick to the plan. And to her, that makes you useless.”

Dean studies Cas in surprise. “You didn’t tell me that’s why you fell. You just said you were human again.”

“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Cas mutters, eyes downcast. “If I had to go back and do it all over again, I’d make the same call. Because grace or not, it’s the right thing to do. It’d be immoral to say any different.”

Dean slips his fingers through Cas’ and smiles faintly. “Just like me.”

Cas shrugs. “You don’t hurt your friends, your allies. You just don’t. And she’s never understood that. She’s just a manipulative bitch and I’m not going to follow her damn directions any more. I can’t, most of the things she wants me to do are immoral and wrong on so many levels. I couldn’t. She told me to _kill a child_ , Dean. A little eight year old boy. Because one time, Lucifer possessed him, with the promise he’d make the kid’s bullies pay. And he did, they’re dead and in Hell, but Naomi was furious he made the deal.”

Dean winces. “Hey, you made the right call. Right?”

Cas shrugs. “I don’t know what’s really right anymore. Whatever I do, it hurts someone. I did refuse, if that’s what you mean. I said no way in Hell would I kill a kid, now that fate was finally smiling on him. He was _happy_ , he wasn’t evil. He just made a deal and that was the end of it. One use and one thing in return, he never made any other deals. She was furious, as always, and passed it off to Michael. Even more furious when _he_ turned her down and said angels shouldn’t kill kids, they’re each a work of art created by God to make an impact on the world.”

I grimace. “She’ll always be a bitch, nothing you can do about it. Some people just never change, never learn.”

Dean sighs. “You’re telling me.”

There’s an awkward pause and Dean bites his lip. “Don’t look at me like that.”

I shake my head slowly. “Dean, what the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

Dean shivers. “No. Don’t even...I’m not going to tell you that. Hell no.”

Cas frowns, exerting pressure on his hand to get his attention. “Dean...”

Dean glances at Cas. “Maybe later. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Dean slips out of the room, leaving me alone with Cas.

We exchange a bewildered look before I break the silence. “What the hell was that?”

Cas shrugs. “He’s never brought it up, I have no idea.”

I shake my head, dazed. “The hell.”

Cas nods his agreeance before he spaces out for just a second. “Gabriel’s calling, something to do with Michael. Do you...would you mind if I went?”

I shake my head quickly. “Hey, I don’t order you around. Go ahead.”

He disappears and I find my mind wandering to where the hell Gabriel is.


	13. Noah and Cas (Gabriel's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas joins Noah, Gabriel, and Michael. Awkardness ensues. Michael is cute, Noah is shy. Gabriel is like a mother, keeping things sorta on track.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel's POV. Same song, of course.
> 
> Fluffiness and cute moments galore. :)

I close my eyes, calling out to him. _Cas. I want you to meet someone, it’s about Michael. You’ll see what I mean when you get here. We haven’t got all day, little brother._

There’s a blue flash and I open my eyes to see a slightly ruffled Cas in front of me. “Hello.”

I rise to my feet, offering him a smile. “Heya, Cas.”

Michael looks up, a touch of shyness slipping into him. “Hey, Cas.”

Cas’ gaze moves to Michael and darkens just a fraction. “Hello, Michael.”

Michael fidgets. “Long time.”

“Since we’ve talked. I heard you turned Naomi down over the eight-year-old kid.”

Michael shrugs. “No way I’d do that, it’s wrong.”

A brief smile lights up Cas’ face. “I told her no first.”

Michael grins. “She asked you?”

Cas nods easily. “Yep.”

Michael rolls his eyes, rising to his feet. Due to their intertwined fingers, he pulls Noah up with him. “She’s an idiot. A bitch. Hate her. Don’t care what the kid did, I’m loyal to _Heaven_ , not to her. I’m loyal to Father. To God.”

Cas seems to relax a little. “You’re telling me. I was first to fall since Lucifer.”

Noah sticks close to Michael’s side as he moves forward a step. “I know. And Gabriel was the second to start falling. And now...I’m the third. To fall. No doubt she’s furious over it, but...well, life’s too short for that.”

Cas blinks, briefly registering what he said before his eyes flick to Noah. “So it is. Especially for hunters.”

“I heard about Sam and the hellhounds,” Michael pipes up, trying to keep the conversation friendly. “I know who sent them. There wouldn’t’ve been Leviathans if it wasn’t her. Naomi.”

Cas winces. “I figured as much. She knew Gabe and I would protect him. Bitch.”

Noah glances between Cas and Michael, taking in the obvious tension. “So you’re Cas?”

Cas’ gaze shifts to Noah and some of his tension eases. “Yes.”

Noah moves a little closer to Michael. “I’m Noah Smith. I’m a hunter.”

Cas nods ever so slightly. “My hunter’s too busy keeping secrets and fawning over his little brother to have attention for me at the moment. Sam got bit by a hellhound.”

I clear my throat. “Poisoned, more like. I did fix it, but there was hellfire poison in it. That’s no ordinary bite. It’ll take longer to heal since it was exerting all its force.”

Noah frowns faintly and Michael’s eyes flick towards me. Cas’ eyes widen a little. “Poisoned?”

I shrug. “He woke up because he was choking up black blood. You know, Hellfire. So I fixed it and left him to Dean. All that’s left is the bite now. And a bit of pain, I’d expect, but no one angel can take away all that without killing themselves. If I could, I already would’ve.”

Cas frowns. “There’s three of us.”

He shoots Michael a pleading look, slipping into what Dean calls Sam’s ‘puppy-dog face’ with ease. “Right?”

Michael melts a little under the pleading look. “Okay, okay. But I don’t want to talk to Dean.”

Noah and Cas both frown at him and Noah asks for Cas, “Why not?”

Michael bites the inside of his lip. “I, um....he doesn’t like me all that much. I used to think being loyal to Naomi was the way to serve Heaven and deal justice, but...well, it’s not. Father would never tell us to kill the kid. She did.”

Cas’ frown deepens. “That can be explained away. He’s not unreasonable.”

Michael shrugs helplessly. “He can be.”

Noah squeezes Michael’s hand. “If you don’t give him a chance, you don’t know that. Especially if you’re helping his little brother. Family may not start in blood, but it sure as hell doesn’t end there. Listen, Mike, everyone deserves a second chance. Even you. _Especially_ you.”

Cas barely bats an eye when Noah calls Michael ‘Mike’, to his credit. “He’s right, Michael.”

Michael looks up, meeting Cas’ gaze for the first time. “What?”

Cas moves forward, touching Michael’s shoulder. “Everyone deserves a second chance. A chance to start over.”

Michael melts under the touch, looking younger and more vulnerable than ever. “Even us?”

Cas shakes his head. “ _Especially_ us. You’re still my brother, still someone I usually look up to. You’re still young Mikey through and through, even if Naomi corrupted you temporarily.”

Michael’s fingers slip out of Noah’s as he throws his arms around Cas, burying his face in Cas’ shoulder. Cas instantly responds in kind, his arms moving to pull Michael close. _He’s becoming a natural at this._

Noah fidgets uneasily, away from the comfort of Michael’s presence even temporarily setting his teeth on edge.

I patiently wait it out, knowing that they need this. _They need this. The chance to start over. Michael screwed up big time in pushing both of us away when Naomi took over, those wounds have yet to heal. But this is certainly a start. He’s trusting me to keep a huge secret from Naomi, an entire existence concealed from her. Noah’s presence._

They finally break apart and Michael smiles shyly, looking small compared to Cas. Cas smiles back, years younger. Years of stresses just _gone_ from his face, just like that.

Noah shyly offers his hand. “You’re a much more powerful presence than they say in the Bible.”

Cas chuckles, sliding his hand into Noah’s and letting go when he does. “The Bible’s outdated. It’s from the Roman Empire era. The last time we came down to Earth. Also why we look the way we do in paintings and stained glass windows—those were our Greek-and-Roman-era vessels. We weren’t as powerful back then, we were hundreds of years younger.”

I chuckle. “I was a _girl_ back then, almost. My hair was an unholy length. Damn, the teen years of an angel.”

Cas and Michael both grin and Noah chuckles. The tension snaps and Cas comes back, “You were worse than me.”

Michael chuckles. “Worse than a Cupid, that’s for sure.”

We all grin and Michael slips his fingers back through Noah’s.

There’s a comfortable, short pause before Cas yawns. “They’re at the bunker. It’s...well, it hasn’t exactly been angel proofed, but Dean and Sam both have angel banishing sigil tattoos so you can’t radar them out. I know where they are, and Gabriel knows, but no other angel does.”

I grin. “Yeah, smart kids. Come on, I’ll lead the way.”

Cas takes my hand in his, and Michael follows suit.

I close my eyes and we reappear in front of the bunker, just outside the front door. Michael instantly drops my hand like he’s been burned, and Cas pulls away to knock on the door.


	14. Dean (Cas' POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talking to Dean. Dean being biased against Michael. Noah being kinda cute. Gabriel being reasonable. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same song, set from Cas' POV.

I raise a hand, knocking lightly on the door.

It cracks open and Dean looks down a little, his eyes meeting mine. “Cas?”

I smile faintly. “And Gabriel. And two others. Don’t worry about it.”

Dean steps aside and we slip inside, the door shutting behind us.

Dean’s eyes stray to Michael and Noah, curiosity rising.

Michael grows more uncomfortable by the minute, eventually whining, “ _Cas..._ ”

I glance at him. “What?”

His eyes flick towards Dean and back to me. Dean seems to be growing more frustrated with each passing minute.

Finally Dean snaps, “How do you know Cas’ name?”

Both Michael and Noah flinch. Noah swallows. “Hey, I just met him. I’m a hunter. Just like you, so I’ve heard.”

Dean’s eyes soften slightly on Noah. “Never heard of you.”

“Noah Smith. I knew a John Winchester, I hear that’s your dad?”

“And he’s dead,” Dean states coldly. “But yes, he is.”

Noah flinches. Even Gabriel looks a little frightened—he doesn’t scare easy.

I move over to touch Dean’s shoulder. “Dean, calm down. They’re here because of Sam.”

Noah takes up the subject easily. “How is he? I heard he got bit. Hurts like hell, I got bit once.”

Dean frowns. “How much do you know?”

“Just what I heard those three talking about.” He gestures to Michael, Gabriel and I.

Dean glances at me. “What?”

I shrug. “The topic came up. He was poisoned, with Hellfire. Hurts like Hell, literally. Could’ve killed him if Gabriel hadn’t’ve healed him. And sounds like it was the work of Naomi, too.”

“She’s certainly blurring the line between good and evil,” Dean mutters.

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re one to talk. You haven’t had to talk her down from killing an eight-year-old.”

Dean shakes his head. “I haven’t, no. Only met her once.”

“She’s terrible,” Gabriel pipes up shyly. “A bitch if we ever knew one. We all hate her. Every angel, even if they don’t admit it, dislikes her to some degree.”

Dean’s gaze shifts to Gabriel and he seems to relax a little. “Of course she’s a bitch. Tell me something I _don’t_ know. She tried to kill Sammy, several times now. Damn bitch.”

Gabriel smiles faintly. “I can definitely understand that.”

Dean grins absently at him. “Yep. The archangel falling for my baby bro.”

Gabriel blushes scarlet and smiles back. “Oh, shut up.”

Noah glances between Gabriel, Dean and I. “So...still trying to understand all this. Gabriel’s an archangel, Cas is an angel, Dean and Sam are hunters...and Sam’s the youngest?”

Dean blinks. “Yes.”

Noah shrugs. “Harder than it seems. How do you tell an archangel from an angel?”

“Color of their wings,” Gabriel replies instantly. “And their level of power. I can read minds, whereas Cas cannot. And that’s how I know Sam’s fine.”

I roll my eyes. “Show off.”

Gabriel grins. “Shut up, Cassie.”

I scoff. “You shut up.”

Dean raises an eyebrow at me. “So who’s he?”

_Thank God he’s not in the same vessel._ “Um...”

There’s an awkward silence and Michael slips backward a few steps, drawing Dean’s attention to the fact that Noah’s holding his hand. “So, obviously Noah’s friend at least. Who is he?”

Noah shakes his head. “Boyfriend.”

Michael smiles shyly, confirming, “Boyfriend.”

His voice is similar enough that Dean’s eyes narrow a little in suspicion. “Boyfriend, whatever. Still doesn’t answer the question. Why isn’t anyone talking? Answer me, come on. Gabe?”

Gabriel shakes his head. “No. You’re biased against him.”

Dean frowns. “Who, Lucifer? I don’t know, Balthazar? Is he an angel?”

“Archangel,” Michael answers before any of us can move.

Dean frowns at him. “But I don’t—”

His eyes widen and he cuts himself off. “ _Michael?_ ”

Michael winces, cringing back into Noah. Gabriel winces and even I can’t contain a grimace.

Dean’s eyes widen with understanding. “So that’s why no one was talking. Jesus Christ. _Michael?_ What the hell’s he doing here?”

Michael turns to me and Gabriel, pleading silently for support.

I nudge Dean. “He’s falling. Notice: _boyfriend_. He’s on our side, he hates Naomi just as much as we do.”

Gabriel moves closer to Michael defensively. “He’s trusting that nothing’s going to happen to Noah, trusting us to keep him safe. He wouldn’t even have someone to keep save if he wasn’t on our side.”

Dean’s eyes narrow suspiciously. “Why should I trust him?”

Michael winces. “No one’s saying you have to trust me. I know I haven’t been...the easiest to deal with. Naomi can be very persuasive when she wants to. Anytime I strayed a little, she reeled me in again. But this time I’ve gone further, I’ve fallen in the human sense of the word.”

“Look,” Gabriel reasons. “I know Sam’s in pain, even if he won’t admit it. No one angel can take all that pain and survive. We’d die. So...with two or three, each taking half to a third, we could ease his pain without killing ourselves in the process.”

“You’re saying to let him near Sammy? Uh-uh, no way in hell.” Dean moves into the hallway, blocking the way as if someone’s going to try anyway.

I close my eyes, willing myself to be patient and moving forward. I lift his head and force him to meet my gaze, to see the tears of frustration. “Dean,” I murmur softly, “You’re being unreasonable. People change. You’ve changed. Sam’s changed. Gabriel has. We all have. _I’ve_ changed. So has Michael.”

He winces, trying fruitlessly to pull away. “Cas...”

I shake my head. “Dean, everyone deserves a second chance. I do, Sam does, you do. We all do. _So does Michael._ ”

I pause, dropping my head against him. “Just give him a chance, just this once. Trust me. He won’t hurt Sam, he knows how that feels. He’s got Noah. Please, Dean, believe me. He won’t hurt anyone.”

Dean grits his teeth. “Sam has a say in this.”

“Let me talk to him,” I reason gently. “You’re worked up and you’re biased. I’ve seen both sides. He pushed me away before, and now he’s come back ‘round.”

“Fine,” Dean spits. “But I’m not hanging around.”

He disappears into the kitchen and I slip back over to Gabriel. “I talked to him and he said Sam has a say, so I’m gonna go talk to him. Dean doesn’t want to hang around, though, so you guys just stay here.”

Michael fidgets, smiling gratefully. “Thank you.”

I shrug. “I meant what I said. Second chance. You can earn his trust, over time. Just don’t blow it.”

I slip off, sliding into Sam’s room.


	15. Boom (Noah's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah's POV. Showcases how Michael usually acts around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom comes from closer to the end of the chapter-you'll know it when you read it.
> 
> Noah's POV (Michael's hunter). Same song.

Michael fidgets uneasily, smiling weakly. “Thank you.”

Cas shrugs casually. “I meant what I said. Second chance. You can earn his trust, over time. Just don’t blow it.”

Cas disappears down the hall and Gabriel falls silent.

The Michael I know is happy-go-lucky, a total sweetheart. He’s shy, but never _this_ shy. It’s a little unnerving.

Michael drops his gaze, chewing on his lip. “I don’t know what impression I made on Sam.”

I shrug, moving to face him. “Why should it matter so much? You’re usually carefree and it’s weird.”

Michael closes his eyes. “Because both my brothers that I still care about love the pair? If I’m gonna visit them, no doubt I’ll encounter their significant other.”

Gabriel flops down on the couch. “Dean?”

Dean peeks out of the kitchen, on edge, and he snaps, “ _What?_ ”

Gabriel winces a little and Dean hesitates, his voice softening. “What?”

Gabriel lifts his gaze, catching Dean’s eye. “Why do you hate Michael? Honestly, why?”

I look up, glancing between the two. Dean sighs, moving out. “I don’t _hate him_. It’s just...well, when you’re enemies with someone long enough you kinda start hating them. It’s like ‘well, you don’t like me so why should I like you’.”

Michael looks up. “Who said I don’t like you? I’ve strayed before, just...never as far as this.”

He gestures to me and Dean’s eyes flick towards him. “Enemies don’t get along.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I can counter that. I’m a hunter, Dean. Not everything hates you, it’s more mass murderer versus justice-bringer kinda thing. Michael isn’t either, not yet. You can’t say you don’t get along because you’re enemies or something. Just because you disagree on some things doesn’t mean you can’t get along.”

Michael tosses me a grateful smile and Dean scowls. “When you disagree on the most principal things, the things that make you who you are, yeah. We don’t get along. No way in hell I’d let half the planet burn to save the other half. I’ll find a way. Who knows, maybe there’s something Naomi never considered.”

Michael winces. “ _I_ wouldn’t do that. That would waste so many lives. I never would’ve. I figured if it got that far, I’d find a way to avoid it. I knew it wouldn’t, though, and look—I was right.”

_No wonder he doesn’t talk about his family. Naomi is pretty terrible._

There’s a loud clap of thunder and Michael jumps, his eyes widening. “Naomi.”

Gabriel stumbles up to his feet. “Cas and Sam.”

Dean instantly is on the defensive. “What?”

I shake my head. “Cas and Sam are alone. If she’s here...”

Dean’s eyes widen. We all move together, instinctively drawing in like a pack of ravenous wolves.


End file.
